Horseshoe and calk.



S.- GORDON. HORSESHOE AND mm; 7 APPLICATION FILED JULY 15,1908.

906,126. I Patented Dec.8;1908.

' in Fig. 3 the inserting position and in Fig. 3

" SIMON GORDON, or WASHINGTON, msrrucr or COLUMBIA.

HoRs sH'oE AND CALK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

Application filed. July 15, 1908. Serial No. 443,590.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIM0N GORDON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horseshoes and Calks,-of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of horseshoes in which detachable calks are held in dovetail grooves in the face of the shoe. WVith horse-shoes having calks of this character, which enter their dovetail seats by a sliding longitudinal movement parallel to the plane of the shoe, it is very important that these calks should be securely locked in their seats, for if the calk should loosen and move outwardly in a horizontal direction it forms a dangerous cutting blade that is liable to skin and seriously wound the feet and legs on the other side of the horse in traveling, or cut the body of the horse in lying down and getting up. It is also important to have some simple and practical means for locking the calks in their seats and removing them Without special tools, as the team is frequently beyond the reach of tools.

My invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of locking devices for securely holding the dovetail calk in its dovetail seat without the use of tools and also in means for quickly converting the shoe from a sharp calk shoe to a flat faced one, as may be desirable when traveling on asphalt pavements softened by the heat of the sun and which might be mutilated by the sharp calks.

Figure 1 is a face view of a horse-shoe equipped with my improved calks. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same. Figs. 3 and 3 are perspective detail views, showing the locking position of the calk, and Fig. i is a detail view showing a modified form of calk for avoiding injury to soft pavements.

In the drawing A represents the body of the shoe which is formed at the toe with a broad raised face B and at the heels with broad raised faces 0 C. Across each of these raised faces is formed an undercut or dovetail groove which is tapered in form so that a tapering dovetail calk will wedge tightly therein when driven home in its seat.

E are the calks. These are of dovetail shape in cross section and are also tapered longitudinally like a wedge. On the small end of each of these calks is pivotally secured a turn-button e of steel by means ofa headed stud or rivet e. The turn-button isriveted so that while it maybe turned it is somewhat stiff and does not easily turn or joggle about. It, however, can never recede from its bearing, nor be knocked loose-by hammering impact with the road bed. This turn-button is made of a shape to correspond exactly with the cross section of that portion of the end of the calk which liesin the dovetail seat, so that when the turn-button is in the position shown in Fig. 3 the small end of the wedge shape calk may be entered into the tapered seat at its wide end and be passed entirely through the same. When said small end of the calk reaches the side face of the enlargement B or C, the turn-button is then free to be turned on its pivot to the position shown in Fig. 3 in which the broader and heavier end of the turn-button extends across the narrower part of the'groove and, locking against the side wall of the enlargement, prevents the tapering calk from moving out of'its seat, and thus locking it in place without the use of screws or screw threads and without the use of a wrench or u other special tool.

somewhat stifliy, it maintains the position to which it is adjusted and asin the normal position of the shoewhenon the horse, the wide and heavy end of the turn-button is lowermost, or nearest the ground, gravity will cause it to maintain this locked position until sufficiently tightened up, by rust and dirt to remain fixed in this position under all conditions. To remove the calk, it is only necessary to tap sharply the corner of the turn-button with any convenient object until the turn-button is rotated a half revolution and comes intoaccurate registration with the marginal edges of the end of the calk, and then a light tap on the small end of the calk in a longitudinal direction toward the big end will bring it out. This construction of locking device for the calk is a very simple and cheap one, requiring no tools for its operation, and at the same time looking the calk securely against accidental As a the turn-button turns dispensed with.

sharp calk edge is replaced by a flat plate surface E with shoulders s s which bear upon the face of the enlargements B and C of the shoe. The thickness of the late surface E is such that it extends to t e tips of the permanent calk lugs d and thus prevents these from digging into the pavement.

In constructing my shoe I prefer for winter use to make it with a series of rigid permanent lugs d on each side between the toe and heel enlargements and a nail crease n with nails holes outside of the lugs. These permanent rigid lugs have preferably sharp outer faces, as seen in Fig. 2, and there may be any desired number of the same, or they may be omitted entirely. The alternate ones are higher than the intervening ones, so that as one set wear blunt, the sharp edges of the other will come into effective bearing.

It will be seen, that the dovetail calks all have an entering direction from the same side of the shoe, i. e., the larger end of the grooves. of a shoe are either all at the right hand side of a shoe, for a right shoe, and the left hand side for a left shoe, so that if by an accident the turn-button should be broken and the calk should move out, it will move away from the middle line of the horse Where it will not cut, the legs of the horse on the other side. 7 The shoe is shown with a. bridge piece at the heel, but this bridge piece may be if desired. I propose to cast these shoes in all the necessary sizes so that they are cheaply made and quickly fitted.

I claim:

1. Aghorse shoe, comprising a body portion having-a tapering dovetail groove on its outer face and a calk With a tapering dovetail part fitting said groove and having on its smaller end a permanently attached and pivoted turn-button.

2. A horse shoe comprising a. body portion having in its outer bearing face a tapered groove extending across, its face from side to side and opening on its face and made wider at the inner portion of the groove than it is atits face outlet, a calk having a tapered part fitting in the groove and having on its smaller end a ermanently attached and rotary adjustab e turn button.

3. A horse shoe comprising abody portion having in its outer bearing face a tapered groove extending across its face from side to;

side and opening on its face. and made wider at the inner portion of the groove than it is j at the face outlet, a calk having a tapered part fitting in the groove and having on its smaller end a permanently attached and rotary adjustable turn button made heavier on one side than it is on the other and arranged to lock across the groove from gravity when the shoe is in the normal position of travel.

4. A horse-shoe, comprising a body portion having a tapering dovetail groove on its outer face and a tapering dovetail calk fitting therein and having on its smaller end a pivoted turn-button Whose marginal edges conform in shape to that portion of the dovetail end of the calk which is seated in the groove.

5. A horse shoe, comprising a body portion having in its outer bearing face a tapered groove extending across its face from side to side and opening on its face and made wider at the inner portion of the groove than it is at its face outlet, a calk having a tapering dovetail part fitting in the groove and having on its smaller end a permanently at tached turn-button of dimensions adapted to pass entirely through the groove when turned in one position and to look across and prevent the withdrawal of the calk when turned in another position.

6.v A horse shoe, comprising a body por tion having permanently attached calk lugs, a tapering dovetail groove on its outer face and a flat detachable face plate having on one side a tapering dovetail rib adapted to be entered into said groove by a longitudinal sliding movement, said face plate extending to the tips of the permanent calk lugs, and means for looking it consisting of a turn-button permanently pivoted upon the small end of the dovetail rib portion.

' 7. A horse shoe calk having a seating portion tapering in length and dovetail in cross section and provided on its smaller end with a permanently attached and pivotally connected turn-button.

8. A horse shoe, comprising a body portion having a plurality of tapering dove-tail grooves on its outer face cut transversely to the longitudinal aXis of the shoe and tapering dovetail calks fitting therein, in transverse relation, all of said grooves and calks being tapered in the same direction and means for locking the calks in their seats.

In testimony whereof I aflix my in presence of two witnesses.

SIMON GORDON.

signature Witnesses:

JOHN L. FLETCHER, DAVID L. Grrr. 

